Observe Collective Down By The River Street Photography Contest

The Observe Collective is holding a street photography contest to celebrate their 4th anniversary. This year’s theme is “Down By The River” and the contest closes Saturday May 28 2017. Entry is free so dust off those RAW files and get to submitting already! More details after the jump!

Down By The River Street Photography Contest

There’s no shortage of street photography contests these days but the Observe Collective’s contests are always top shelf. First off, entry is free and you can’t get any cheaper than that! But the Observe Collective contests really stand out for the quality of the judges and the diversity of the entries.

The “Under Construction” contest (from 2015) was a big hit with street photographers and this one is shaping up to have the same wide spread appeal.

This year’s theme is “Down By The River” and the collective is looking for images that capture the spirit of life by the riverside but looking at the group’s pool you get feeling that this theme could cover anything to do with recreational water usage. Everything from pools to ocean liners appear to be fair game. According to the contest description:

Although riverside locations are preferred, other waterside locations which combine bodies of water with public space may also fit the spirit of the theme: canals, streams, lakeshores, harbours, seaside promenades, etc.

So there’s some wiggle room on the theme. I say, if it’s shot in a public space next to some body of water then you’re good to go. It’s free to enter, so what have you got to lose? :)

Total prize money for the Down By The River Street Photography contest is €1000.

Winner: €500
Second place: €300
Third place: €200

StreetShootr’s Take

Look there’s no shortage of street photography contests to participate in but the Observe Collective did a great job with last year’s “Under Construction” contest and I’ve got no reason to doubt they’ll do the same here. There’s an amazing pool of talent already participating and the judges include some of the top names in street photography like Matt Stuart and Fadi BouKaram.

This one’s free to enter so it’s a no brainer. It’s a great chance to have your images displayed alongside some of the greatest street photographers working today. And did I mention it’s free??

What’s your take on the Observe Collective Down By The River Street Photography contest? A great chance to celebrate the Observe Collective’s 4th anniversary and have your work shown in Germany? Or would you rather be shooting than entering a contest? Post your ideas in the comments below and keep the conversation going!